Grocery store workers deserve our appreciation, now more than ever

We have all had a terrible time in the past year. What the COVID-19 virus has done to our world, our community, our businesses and our way of life was unthinkable before it happened and the crisis has affected us of all in various, awful ways.

What happened in Boulder last week was more horrendous than many of us can absorb now, I know it was for me. But as I went grocery shopping at my local City Market in El Jebel this week, I felt another sadness. Every store employee in that store has been working tirelessly throughout the past year to keep us stocked up, fed and our pharmacy has never closed.

These employees are our lifeline and I’ve never felt that more acutely than since the virus hit this valley. Now, they have the added trauma of watching their co-workers at the King Soopers in Boulder slaughtered while doing their jobs. I cannot imagine their fear going to work the next day after seeing all of the dreadful news coverage.

So, next time you go to your grocery store in Aspen, El Jebel, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs and beyond, smile to those checkers, the stock people, the deli servers, the pharmacy workers, all who have worked so very hard and diligently throughout the whole pandemic to keep us alive. Let them know that we consider them family and thank them for their work. They deserve it.

Cindy Ford

Basalt